In the middle of the night, Mu Lin sat up with his eyes closed, lifted the quilt, put on his shoes accurately, and began to sleepwalk in his white undershirt.
"The yin and yang of heaven and earth cannot be deduced by numbers, but by images..."
“… Is it not life? If the in and out stops, the spirit will be destroyed; if the rise and fall stops, the qi will be isolated and in danger…”
He was sleepwalking while reciting his lessons.
The two beds were only ten feet apart. Qin Zishu was a light sleeper and woke up when he heard the sound. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a petite figure in white approaching slowly. She seemed to be holding something in her hand, which was flashing with a cold light under the moonlight coming in through the window.
It's a dagger! Qin Zishu's pupils shrank.
“Do not refrain from doing good deeds because they are small, and do not commit evil deeds because they are small…”
Mu Lin chattered non-stop, and in the blink of an eye he had already walked to his bed. The shadows stretched by the moonlight covered his eyes, and the only bright color was the knife light like water.
Qin Zishu suddenly smiled, and with lightning speed he grabbed the little girl's hand holding the knife and pulled it hard!
Mu Lin was thinking whether he should point the knife at his neck to scare him, when suddenly the world spun around and he was pinned down under the boy with the knife. A muffled sound came from the bedding.
Her wrists and legs were firmly restrained, and she had no strength to break free. The warm breath lingered on her face, and her breathing was audible.
"Well… "
Mu Lin frowned in his sleep, slowly opened his peach blossom eyes, and woke up slowly and wisely.
"Brother Qin...?"
The first thing Mu Lin saw was a handsome face, and she was caught off guard by a pair of deep eyes. She couldn't help but tilt her head, looking confused and uneasy, as innocent as she could be.
The little guy is quite good at acting
A playful smile flashed across Qin Zishu's eyes, and he was almost fooled by her.
"That's what Yizhen saw..."
"Brother, can you let me go first?" Mu Lin blinked. Her chest felt like it was being pressed by a rock, and her wrist was almost broken.
It's so awkward to communicate at such a close distance...
Qin Zishu read a little bit of grievance in her eyes. She was the one who provoked him first, but it seemed like he bullied her. For some reason, his usually cold heart suddenly softened. He released his grip on her with a smile, rolled off her, and sat on the edge of the bed.
Mu Lin finally caught his breath. His hand loosened and the dagger fell to the side of the pillow. He subconsciously gave him a grateful smile, holding his chest and slowly calming his breathing.
"Does Yizhen have a habit of sleepwalking?"
Mu Lin sat up and gave him a helpless smile.
"I'm really sorry for offending Senior Brother Qin, but luckily I didn't hurt you... Once before, Yizhen accidentally stepped on the night watchman's hand and broke it, and another time, a dagger scratched my cousin's thigh..."
"I see..."
Qin Zishu looked into her eyes, which seemed to be as sincere as they could be, and chuckled.
He chuckled calmly without any fear. This was totally different from the reaction Mu Lin had expected. Mu Lin had the illusion that he had seen through her from head to toe. He subconsciously blinked, lowered his eyes, picked up the dagger and handed it to Qin Zishu.
"Brother, I don't know if I will continue to sleepwalk. In order to ensure our mutual safety, how about you keep this dagger for the time being?"
"good."
Qin Zishu agreed immediately and put the dagger on the table.
Mu Lin put his feet on the ground and prepared to go back to his bed. He would have to get up again after going through this twice. Even if Qin Zishu was not afraid, he would definitely get annoyed and ask to change dormitories.
In the dim night, the upturned corners of his lips were barely noticeable, but the moment he stood up, a big hand grabbed his arm.
The force was so strong that it could not be refused. The heat penetrated the thin shirt and burned the tender skin. Qin Zishu smiled softly and said, "Zishu is not talented, but I know a little martial arts. I will sleep with Yizhen tonight. If Yizhen shows any signs of sleepwalking, I will be able to detect it immediately and wake you up."
After that, before Mu Lin could refute, he was pushed onto the bed again. On the bed, which was neither too big nor too small, the brocade quilt wrapped the two of them up like a spring roll.
They stared at each other and their breathing could be heard within earshot.
This Qin Zishu actually held her in his arms like this, and Mu Lin's eyes widened. In this position, let alone sleepwalking, it would be a miracle if she could move at all!
Why do you treat her like this
So close... Could it be...
Mu Lin was startled and spoke haltingly:
"Brother... Actually, actually I... I like boys... No, I like girls..."
He was so incoherent that he almost let the cat out of the bag, but he had no time to care about it at the moment. Mu Lin stared at Qin Zishu nervously, trying to judge his sexual orientation through his reaction.
"Oh, what a coincidence. Me too."
Qin Zishu's eyes were full of interest.
Not sure if it was his illusion, but after saying this, Mu Lin felt his waist being pinched even tighter.
Qin Zishu was as warm as a stove, and Mu Lin's face was slightly warmed by the smoke. To be honest, it was a chilly spring, and as a human princess with a cold body, it was really comfortable to hug him.
But the problem is, men and women shouldn’t touch each other!
Mu Lin was still racking her brains to find an excuse, and Qin Zishu pressed her little head against his chest. She heard a gentle voice from above her head: "It's late, aren't you really sleepy? Go to bed."
After saying this, he closed his eyes, his breathing gradually became longer, and he seemed to have really fallen asleep.
Mu Lin felt a little awkward and aggrieved nestling in his arms. Then she discovered... Qin Zishu smelled very good, a bit like the woody scent of cedar, but with a bit more grace and elegance, giving her a familiar yet strange feeling.
Mu Lin couldn’t tell what was happening, he just felt his heart gradually calm down, and soon he fell asleep.
When she woke up, she was the only one lying on the bed, in the middle. Of course, she was still on Qin Zishu's bed, covered with his quilt, comfortable and cozy.
Although the bed was not hers, she was in a good mood, probably because she slept soundly.
I sat up slowly. The room was empty.
"Fennel..."
Mu Lin wanted to call Hui Xiang in to ask about the time, but suddenly he shut his mouth.
The people of Jingsheng are relatively conservative, which is inappropriate, extremely inappropriate.
He stood up, folded the quilt, and went back to his bed to tidy it up again.
Seeing that the beds on both sides were neatly made, Mu Lin felt more relaxed. He took out a light blue top and white skirt from the suitcase and placed them aside, planning to put them on after washing up.
Mu Lin got up, put on his clothes, opened the door and looked at the sky. There was still half an hour before class. He asked Hui Xiang to fetch water to wash up. When it was time to comb his hair, Qin Zishu came in with a book. His eyes fell on the made bed and softened a little.
"Good morning, brother."
"Yizhen, good morning."
Mu Lin always suspected that someone was watching her from behind. When she turned around, Qin Zishu was studying with his head down.
As if noticing her gaze, he raised his head and smiled:
"What's wrong? Do you need my help?"
Mu Lin retracted his doubtful gaze and said, "No need to bother."
Then she tied her hair up, but she felt the gazes from behind her hard to ignore, so she couldn't help but look back again. Qin Zishu was still reading.
This time he put the book down and walked over.
"It's just a hair tie. You've been struggling for so long. Let me help you."
"No need, I'll let Fennel do it."
Mu Lin suddenly felt a little cold, but Qin Zishu was smiling. He took the comb from her hand, gently combed the upper half of her hair, gathered it on top of her head, and tied it up in a few seconds.
Mu Lin looked at herself in the mirror, her neatly half-tied hair, and couldn't help but stare at her.
"Brother, you are too omnipotent!"
"Of course." Qin Zishu was not modest. "For small matters like tying your hair, I will help you later. There is no need for Fennel to come in."
"OK."
Mu Lin agreed straightforwardly. Normally, she didn't need Hui Xiang's help, but today she just couldn't tie her hair properly. Although she wasn't very skilled at tying her hair, it was just passable. Now there was someone who was more skilled to help her, which saved her a lot of trouble.
However, she still needed to think more about what Qin Zishu said.
"Brother, do you not like outsiders to enter the house?"
"good."
Qin Zishu went with the flow.
Mu Lin thought, no wonder Qin Zishu’s servant Shan Zheng rarely appears.
He said sympathetically, "Then I will try not to let Fennel come in and disturb you."
"There's really no need to worry. I just like quietness. It's nothing..."
Mu Lin felt that Qin Zishu was quite considerate and thought that she needed to accommodate him more.
"I don't know what your former roommate is like, just treat me like him and get along with me naturally."
"Yizhen, I didn't have a roommate before. You are the first and the last."
Yes, after teaching this young junior fellow, Qin Zishu’s schoolwork will be very busy, and he probably won’t teach any new junior fellow fellows.
Mu Lin nodded in understanding.
"Brother, have you had breakfast?"
“No.”
"Do you want to go to the cafeteria with Yizhen?"
Every time, it was Fennel who brought the food back to her dormitory. She had never really experienced the feeling of eating from a big pot in the cafeteria.
It should be lively with so many students eating together, right? Mu Lin was looking forward to it.
Qin Zishu was very satisfied with her invitation and readily agreed.
"Since you really want to go, I will accompany you."
The two brothers went to the cafeteria together. Qin Zishu held Mu Lin's hand like a father holding his child, for fear that she would get lost.
It was rare for someone to treat her like a child, so Mu Lin smiled helplessly but didn't resist much.
There were many students rushing to the cafeteria to eat. Nearly 30% of those who met along the way would come over to greet Qin Zishu, and he would smile and reply one by one. After chatting for a few words, he would also briefly introduce Mu Lin next to him.
He was chatting and laughing, and was at ease.
Mu Lin admired his superb social skills.
As she walked, she could tell that the students wearing light blue uniforms were from Tianxuan Academy, and the students wearing royal blue uniforms were from Tianji Academy. In fact, even without looking at their clothes, they could be roughly distinguished by their ages.
As for Yuheng Academy, as an academy where female students gather, a separate area is naturally set aside for their food, clothing, housing and transportation.
Although the separation between men and women was not strict in this era, it was impossible for men and women to live together, and casual contact was wishful thinking. However, in certain activities, everyone could still see each other.